Top Netflix Movie Is A Gigantic Action Epic That Got Snubbed By The Oscars
The Woman King is currently the #1 movie on Netflix.
If you haven’t heard about how The Woman King is making waves on Netflix, then you must have been sleeping! According to a recent survey by FlixPatrol, the film featuring Viola Davis, John Boyega, and Jimmy Odukoya to name a few, is dominating the rankings and pulling in a whopping 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But despite the overwhelmingly positive support from both fans and critics alike, The Woman King did not receive a nomination for the 95th Academy Awards, therefore snubbing the feature from taking home an Oscar.
Director of The Woman King, Gina Prince-Bythewood, has expressed her frustration in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. She stated that despite the overwhelmingly positive reception of the film, the cultural impact that came along with it, and the global box office numbers passing the $100 million mark, she’s surprised that The Woman King didn’t even receive the consideration of a nomination. Prince-Bythewood went on to acknowledge that this year’s awards season was an eye-opener, especially considering how Viola Davis was nominated for a Critics Choice Award, BAFTA, and SAG award for her lead role portraying General Nanisca.
While Prince-Bythewood is proud of what was accomplished with The Woman King, she can’t help but feel like they were wrongfully excluded by the academy.
The resounding success of The Woman King is no mystery. The historical drama follows the lives of the Agojie, an all-female army led by Nanisca (Davis) in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey. Nanisca is tasked with training the next generation of warriors under the leadership of King Ghezo to fight off the opposition and keep their territory safe from slavers that occupy the Oyo Empire.
Nanisca earns the title of Woman King for her fearless leadership and selfless devotion to the Kingdom of Dahomey’s safety.
The Woman King is a triumphant story of defying the odds and overcoming adversity and highlights significant historical struggles that may not have been previously known to a mainstream audience. Viola Davis has also received endless praise for her performance in the film as being a new high point in her career. Despite the How to Get Away with Murder alum’s positive reception of her portrayal of Nanisca, one can’t help but feel like she wasn’t properly represented by the academy for what she accomplished for the film that’s still dominating in VOD and DVD sales.
Prince-Bythewood goes on to tell the Hollywood Reporter that “It’s not a snub. It’s a reflection of where the academy stands and the consistent chasm between Black excellence and recognition. And, sadly, this is not just an issue in Hollywood but in every industry.”
And she’s right to think this, considering Till‘s star, Danielle Deadwyler, received treatment similar to The Woman King from the academy despite racking up several similar nominations to Davis, as well as taking home the Gotham Award for her performance.
While Prince-Bythewood is rightfully sore that no black woman filmmaker has ever won best director, she considers the overall cultural impact of The Woman King to be the real win at the end of the day. While it seems time and time again that the academy doesn’t properly represent the entire film community, the people have spoken. At the end of the day, it’s the audience who is learning important life lessons and gaining perspective from the media they consume.
The academy may have a long way to go in being more inclusive in their representation of filmmakers, but the real victory comes from the satisfaction of putting out a profound piece of cinema that will have its own legacy, with or without an Oscar.
